Home Office

Visas: Skilled Workers

Lord German: To ask His Majesty's Government whether there will be an alternative salary threshold for (1) recent graduates, (2) PhD holders, and (3) academics, following the planned increase to the salary threshold for skilled overseas workers.

Lord German: To ask His Majesty's Government when in the spring the increase to the salary threshold for skilled overseas workers will come into effect; and whether a consultation will take place.

Lord German: To ask His Majesty's Government, furtherto the announcement of an increase to the salary threshold for skilled overseas workers, whether the salary threshold will be higher for those seeking indefinite leave to remain.

Lord German: To ask His Majesty's Government what impactthe planned increase to the salary threshold for skilled overseas workerswill have on graduate programmes due to commence in September 2024.

Lord German: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the increase to the salary threshold for skilled overseas workers (1) will only apply to cases submitted after the threshold introduction date, or (2) will apply to cases that have been submitted but have not yet been considered.

Lord German: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the announcement of an increase to the salary threshold for skilled overseas workers, whether the salary threshold will be higher for people with children who are not British citizens.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Our Points Based System enables the Government to prioritise the skills and talent we need to help our economy grow and support our NHS, while encouraging investment in, and protecting, our own resident workforce. In arriving at this package of measures, we have been mindful of the need to balance the impacts on economic growth and the needs of the labour market. The Graduate route remains the best opportunity for international graduates from UK universities to find a job in the UK labour market, including through graduate programmes.In due course, the Government will provide further details on the implementation of these measures (including on salaries and transitional arrangements), which are due to come in to force by Spring 2024.

Asylum: Bibby Stockholm

Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government what the daily cost per person will be if 504 asylum seekers are accommodated on the Bibby Stockholm barge.

Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people are being accommodated on the Bibby Stockholm barge at present, and what is the cost per person to accommodate them.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The capacity of the Bibby Stockholm is around 500 people. The number of asylum seekers onboard the vessel at any one time is likely to vary due to a number of factors.Numbers will increase in a phased approach as part of a carefully structured plan. We are conscious of the need to manage arrivals in a way that local services can support. Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential. Therefore, the Home Office does not publish this information. However, total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at: Home Office Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023 (publishing.service.gov.uk).

Immigration: Personal Income

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they had with (1) devolved administrations, and (2) business sectors and organisations, before announcing the proposed rise in earnings income threshold for legal migration to the UK.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Immigration is a reserved matter. In general, the Government engages regularly with the Devolved Administrations and business sectors through a number of advisory groups when developing its policies. The Government will be engaging with the Devolved Administrations and business on aspects of the package in due course.

Asylum: Rwanda

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of their policy to remove certain migrants to Rwanda on the Good Friday Agreement.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill will apply in full in Northern Ireland in the same way as it does in the rest of the United Kingdom. This is explicit on the face of the Bill and will always be the case, reflecting that immigration policy is a UK-wide matter. The rights chapter of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement does not affect any clause within the Bill in any way.

Educational Visits: Germany and Spain

Baroness Coussins: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by the Home Secretary on 7 December announcing the changesto travel document requirements for school groups visiting the UK from France (HCWS106), whether they will extend those changes to school groups visiting the UK from Spain and Germany.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: At the Leaders’ Summit in Paris on 10 March 2023, as part of an overall agreement on migration reached with France, the UK committed to ease the travel of school groups to the UK by making changes to documentary requirements for schoolchildren on organised trips from France. The agreement we have is specific to France.We would consider negotiating with other countries should they approach us with an interest in making similar arrangements.

Visas: Families

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 5 December (HL Deb col 1464), whether the family test was applied before the decision was made to raise the minimum income threshold for family visas to £38,700; and if so, whether they will now publish the outcome; or if it was not applied, why.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Family Test (The Family Test - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) ) helps ensure that the impacts on family relationships and functioning, both positive and negative, are recognised in the process of policy development, and helps inform the policy decisions made by Ministers. Whilst there is no statutory requirement to explicitly undertake a Family Test for all policy changes, as with all policy development the impact on families was considered as part of the development of changes to the minimum income requirement, and will continue to be as we work through the further policy details which will be announced in due course.

Home Office: Wales

Lord Wigley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many Home Office employees are employed in Wales in (1) police services, (2) prison services, (3) border control, and (4) other services.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Of the areas listed, the Home Office only provides border control services. Of the 957 Home Office staff based in Wales. Unfortunately, the number of Border Force members of staff cannot be released for national security reasons.

Asylum: MOD Wethersfield

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government how many residents of MDP Wethersfield are able to pass freely to and fromthe site; what is the schedule of the minibus service available; and what assessment they have made of the amount of time residents are able to be away from the site each day based on that schedule.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Those living at the site will be able to come and go freely and can therefore spend as much time as they would like offsite in any given day. A formal register will be kept at the front gate so that we know who is on and off-site. There is no curfew, but asylum seekers are expected to be back on site by 11pm, with those who do not return being contacted to ascertain their whereabouts.To minimise the impact on the local services, and to ensure the orderly flow of people onto and off the site, a regular transport service is in place to take users to larger local towns.This has been developed following consultation with key stakeholders in the Multi Agency Forum (MAF).If off-site services are needed, transport services will be available by the Home Office’s provider.

Visas: Skilled Workers

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the decision to raise the minimum salary threshold for skilled worker visas does not harm businesses and the broader economy.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Government is mindful of the need to balance the impacts on economic growth and the needs of the labour market with this package of measures.Analysis has been undertaken across Government on this package of measures and a Regulatory Impact Assessment will be published in due course.

Migrants: Detainees

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the Community Engagement Pilot series, what consideration they have given to alternatives to immigration detention, especially for those with medical needs.

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the UNHCR,Evaluation of the Refugee and Migrant Advice Service’s Alternative to Detention Pilot, published 23 August; and what plans they have to useits findingsto inform ministerial decision-making in regard to the development and implementation of alternatives to migrant detention in the UK.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: UNHCR’s independent evaluations of the Community Engagement Pilot series found no definitive evidence that community-based case management focused alternatives to immigration detention led to the quicker resolution of individual cases nor represented better value for money. Given that these key tests for the pilots were not met, we have no plans to progress any further community-based case management focused alternatives to immigration detention.The published Home Office response to the evaluation of the Refugee and Migrant Advice Service pilot can be found within the evaluation report at Appendix C.

Detainees: Medical Examinations

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government how often reports submitted under (1) Rule 32 of the Short-term Holding Facility Rules 2018,and (2) Rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001, areaudited by Home Office officials.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: All reports submitted under Rule 32 of the Short-term Holding Facility Rules 2018, and Rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001 are reviewed and responded to by a single Home Office Team, separate from the case working teams. On receipt, all reports are triaged by a Senior Executive Officer to ensure they are legible, the information is clear, and all relevant sections of the template have been completed. If this is not the case, the issues will be set out in writing and the Medical Professional asked to review and respond to the request for clarification of existing information or for additional information.

Undocumented Migrants: Northern Ireland

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of people who have entered the UK illegally via Northern Ireland’s border with the Republic of Ireland during the last 12 months.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: To maintain the highest standards of accuracy, the Home Office prefers to refer to published data, as this has been subject to rigorous quality assurance under National Statistics protocols prior to publication.Information about illegal entry to the UK is not currently available in our published data.Our published data is available at the following link: Immigration system statistics, year ending September 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Visas: British National (Overseas)

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to take steps to reduce the limited leave to remain period from five years to three years on the British National (Overseas) visa scheme for Hong Kongers, considering the finding of the Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers in its report From HK to UK: Hong Kongers’ new lives in Britain, published in November, that 99 per cent of Hong Kongers who hold a British National (Overseas) visa intend to apply for British citizenship.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route is a generous offer, reflecting the UK’s moral and historic commitment to those people of Hong Kong who chose to retain their ties to the UK, by obtaining BN(O) status before Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997.After five years in the UK, those on the route can choose whether to apply for indefinite leave to remain, and after obtaining that will be eligible to apply for British citizenship, generally after a further 12 months’ residence. The Government currently has no plans to change the way we grant permission on the BN(O) route.

British Nationality: Ilois

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the impact of the proposed increase in the minimum income threshold for family visas on Chagossians granted citizenship under the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: A Chagossian who has been granted British citizenship under the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 will be in the same position as any other British citizen with regard to bringing family members to the UK. Where the family member is a non-Chagossian, they will be required to make an application under Appendix FM to the Immigration Rules and meet all of the requirements of the chosen route. As a result, the impact of the proposed change to the Minimum Income Requirement element of the family rules will be no different for Chagossians than for other individuals in a similar position.

Visas: Families

Baroness Hamwee: To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to their proposals to increase the minimum income requirement for a spouse or partner visa to £38,700, what fee will be payable on the initial and subsequent applications for a spouse or partner on a 10-year route to settlement, and what immigration health charge will be due.

Baroness Hamwee: To ask His Majesty's Government what fees they intend to charge in connection with the increased minimum income requirement for a spouse or partner visa, in particular (1) what fee will be payable on the initial and subsequent applications for a spouse or partner on a 10-year route to settlement, and (2) what immigration health charge will be due.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: There will be no changes to the fees payable for any visa applications or the health surcharge as a result of the minimum income requirement changes announced by the Home Secretary.For those applying on a spouse or partner visa, the current application fees of £1,846 for entry clearance, £1,048 for Limited Leave to Remain and £2,885 for Indefinite Leave to Remain will remain the same.Subject to the passage of the necessary legislation, the Immigration Health Surcharge will increase to £1,035 per year for migrants applying on the partner visa route.

Visas: Families

Baroness Hamwee: To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to their proposals to increase the minimum income requirement for a spouse or partner visa to £38,700, how income other than from employment and property and savings will be regarded, the additional income required for each child of the family, and what length of visa will be issued and how that will be determined.

Baroness Hamwee: To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to their proposals to increase the minimum income requirement for a spouse or partner visa, (1) how savings and income from property and sources other than employment will be regarded, (2) the additional income required for each child of the family, (3) what length of visa will be issued, and (4) what other changes related to family visas they propose.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The revised minimum income requirement (MIR) will be implemented in spring 2024.The Government will set out any transitional provisions associated with the increase in the MIR, and further policy details, in due course.Any applications already submitted will be considered in line with the existing policy.

Visas: Married People

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government how many UK citizens have a foreign spouse whom they have sponsored to live in the UK under the current family visa system; what is the number of foreign spouses living in the UK on family visas expressed as a percentage of net migration in the most recent annual figures available; and what is the estimated cost to the public of foreign spouses of UK citizens living in the UK on family visas.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The number of UK citizens that have a foreign spouse whom they have sponsored to live in the UK under the current family visa system, the number of foreign spouses living in the UK on family visas expressed as a percentage of net migration in the most recent annual figures available and the estimated cost to the public of foreign spouses of UK citizens living in the UK on family visas does not form part of any current transparency data or migration statistics and is not published. Transparency data is published quarterly on Gov.uk and includes data on the number of visas issued on family routes, although this does not necessarily equate to foreign spouses living in the UK.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Hong Kong: Religious Freedom

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of threats to freedom of religion or belief in Hong Kong, following the recent report published by Hong Kong Watch,Sell Out My Soul: The Impending Threats to Freedom of Religion or Belief in Hong Kong.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is committed to protecting the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) globally. We continue to monitor FoRB in Hong Kong through our regular Six-monthly Reports to Parliament and interactions with local faith leaders. In our latest report, published on 19 September, we noted religious practice is generally not restricted in Hong Kong, with a variety of religious practices coexisting across the territory. However, it is clear many of the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and Hong Kong's Basic Law are being curtailed under the guise of national security. China's imposition of the National Security Law in Hong Kong represents a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. In line with the UN Human Rights Council recommendation in its International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights report on Hong Kong, we urge the Chinese authorities to repeal the law.

Zhang Zhan

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations theyhave made to the government of the People’s Republic of China about the continued incarceration of the journalist Zhang Zhan, who attempted to question Communist Party officials in Wuhan about the origins of COVID-19; and what response, if any, they have received.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There are severe restrictions on media freedom in China, and the situation for journalists is deteriorating. In July 2023, the UK raised its concerns about censorship and media freedom in China, including the case of citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, in its 2022 Human Rights and Democracy Report. British diplomats have attempted to attend trials of citizen journalists and rights activists in China.More generally, we regularly raise the human rights situation in China directly with the Chinese authorities at the highest levels. The Foreign Secretary did so in his introductory call with China's Foreign Minister on 5 December.

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: Marine Protected Areas

Lord Randall of Uxbridge: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen the marine protected area surrounding South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) is currently undertaking the second 5-year review of its Marine Protected Area (MPA). The review is considering the effectiveness of the current MPA measures, including whether the underpinning scientific research and monitoring is sufficient, particularly in light of climate change, and whether effective monitoring and surveillance capacity is in place. The review will determine whether additional measures are required to achieve the stated MPA objectives. GSGSSI is committed to reporting on its review by early next year.

Operation Blue Star

Lord Singh of Wimbledon: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impartiality of the Heywood review into allegations of UK involvement in the Indian Army's operation against the Golden Temple in the light of reports thatthe father of a senior member of that review wasthe Prime Minister's private secretary at the time of the operation.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Heywood review of 2014 worked specifically to establish facts about the UK advice and assistance to the Indian Government during Operation Blue Star 1984. It concluded that UK assistance was advisory, ended several months before the operation and had limited impact on the tragic events that followed. The UK Government has concluded that there is no basis to challenge the conclusions of the 2014 review or to review the broader decisions of the government of the day.

Members: Correspondence

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to respond to the letter of 29 November toLord Cameron of Chipping Norton from the Uyghur Tribunal regarding the treatment of the Uyghurs of Xinjiang in North-West China; and if so (1) when, and (2) whether they will publish this response.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government intends to respond as per standard procedures and timelines.

Department of Health and Social Care

Food: Organised Crime

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of organised crime relating to food and drink, and what plans they have to facilitate information sharing among relevant public authorities and industry stakeholders.

Lord Markham: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has a dedicated National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) to prevent, detect and investigate food crime. The NFCU plays a key role in the prevention of food crime by monitoring current and future threats. The unit can also lead and support partners in conducting investigations to enable the prosecution of food criminals. The FSA’s understanding of the nature and levels of food crime within the food and drink sector is set out within their Food Crime Strategic Assessment. The publication of an updated Food Crime Strategic Assessment, compiled in partnership with Food Standards Scotland, is planned for spring 2024.The FSA has a strong partnership with industry to detect food fraud risks and vulnerabilities. One such partnership is with the Food Industry Intelligence Network who the FSA liaises closely with on sampling data and potential authenticity issue signals. The FSA works closely with local authorities, who enforce food hygiene and safety standards across much of the food sector. The FSA has regular communication through their networks where intelligence is shared on issues that would fall under their remit for enforcement. The FSA also has well established links with other enforcement agencies and the police to share and discuss relevant intelligence around serious criminality in the food sector and to explore crossovers with other offending so that an effective and collaborative response can be applied to such issues.Earlier this year, the FSA established a working group with industry, focusing on food fraud. The working group agreed improvements to the format, content, timeliness, and distribution of intelligence-based alerts, issued by the NFCU to industry networks to allow them to better protect themselves against the threat. All members agreed to promote or otherwise support a new freephone confidential food fraud hotline operated by the FSA. The working group also agreed to the provision of more information to the FSA from voluntary Third-Party Assurance schemes. Sharing arrangements around information exchange with Third-Party Assurance schemes are being explored.

Food: Safety

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the numbers of (1) vets, (2) food inspectors, and (3) other personnel who contribute to maintaining food safety, and what plans they have to ensure sufficient numbers.

Lord Markham: Data for local authority food inspectors on 31 March 2023 for England, Wales and Northern Ireland can be found in the attached document. Local authorities report their resources by food hygiene and food standards as there are two separate returns.The Food Standards Agency (FSA) employs vets in abattoirs, through a Service Delivery Provider (SDP), who deliver Official Controls in England and Wales. They also directly employ vets to approve, audit and assurance Food Business Operators. There are approximately 270 Official Veterinarians (OVs) in abattoirs every day.The FSA is implementing a suite of measures to maintain sufficient numbers of both OVs and Official Auxiliaries (OAs) in a difficult recruitment environment. This includes, but is not limited to, careful consultation and consideration through our SDP Retender Programme, planning for contingency measures, working across government to address the systemic veterinary challenges impacting on the ability to recruit OVs and running both trainee and qualified OA recruitment exercises.Food inspectors data (xlsx, 19.7KB)

Family Hubs: Finance

Lord Browne of Ladyton: To ask His Majesty's Government which local authorities were allocated funding for Start for Life workforce models, and how much funding was allocated to each local authority.

Lord Markham: Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme, up to £9.88 million was allocated to enable a small number of areas to pilot innovative start for life workforce models. Five local authority areas were successful in their applications to become a pilot site. These areas were Barnsley, Islington, Leicester, Norfolk, and Tower Hamlets.The funding allocations for each area, this financial year, are due to be published shortly. The allocations for next financial year will be published once finalised.

Family Hubs: Finance

Lord Browne of Ladyton: To ask His Majesty's Government how many local authorities were allocated funding to establish parent and carer panels as part of the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, and how much funding was allocated to each local authority.

Lord Markham: £10 million is being distributed to 75 local authorities in England participating in the Programme to set up Parent Carer Panels and publish a Start for Life offer from 2022/23 to 2024/25. Local authorities determine the specific interventions they spend their funding allocation on, in line with the programme guide and local area need. A core minimum expectation of the programme is for local authorities to establish a Parent Carer Panel.A copy of the published funding methodology for the programme is attached; this sets out how each local authority received their funding allocation.Programme methodology (pdf, 125.7KB)

Care Workers: Migrant Workers

Baroness Goudie: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have made to address concerns in the social care sector about the closure of care homes caused by the loss of staff from overseas as a result of restrictions on staff bringing their families to the UK.

Lord Markham: We recognise the importance of international recruitment to ensure we have sufficient supply of care workers and senior care workers. This is why the Government decided to add care workers to the Shortage Occupation List in February 2022, in response to unprecedented workforce pressures.On 4 December 2023, the Secretary of State for the Home Department announced a five-point plan to curb legal net migration, including removing the right for care workers and senior care workers to bring dependants to the United Kingdom and restricting access to the route to employers who are regulated by the Care Quality Commission. The Secretary of State for the Home Department has committed to put estimates of the impact of these announcements in the House of Commons Library. This will be set out in due course.The Government is committed to building a sustainable adult social care workforce. As part of this, international recruitment has bolstered the workforce with 101,000 out of country visa grants for care workers and senior care workers to the year ending September 2023. While at home, we are backing domestic recruitment with our National Recruitment Campaign, working with the Department for Work and Pensions to promote adult social care careers, and funding sector partner to support employers and commissioners to improve recruitment and retention.

Care Workers: Migrant Workers

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what detailed assessment they have undertaken of the potential impact on recruitment into the social care system of requiring that UK citizens must be earning at least £38,700 to sponsor foreign family members to get a family visa; how many social care positions are currently vacant in the UK; and what impact an under-staffed social care system with too few care beds will have on the ability of NHS hospitals to discharge patients in need of social care, and the consequent effect on (1) hospital waiting lists, and (2) A&E waiting times.

Lord Markham: The Secretary of State for the Home Department has committed to put estimates of the impact of these announcements in the House of Commons Library. This will be done in due course.According to Skills for Care, the total number of vacancies in 2022/23 was 152,000, a decrease of 11,000 or 7% of vacant posts from 2021/22. It is important to note vacancies are not necessarily a good measure of workforce capacity or of levels of need in social care. Vacancies include posts that are vacant in the short term due to recent or anticipated staff turnover and posts created by employers who want to expand and grow their businesses rather than only roles needed to meet statutory entitlements.This Government is investing an additional £600 million this year, and £1 billion next year through the Discharge Fund. This funding will enable the National Health Service and local authorities in England to reduce discharge delays, including by commissioning additional packages of care and support for rehabilitation and reablement.In September, alongside £200 million to boost resilience in the NHS, we announced a £40 million fund, targeted at local authorities in the most challenged NHS systems in England. This fund will strengthen urgent and emergency care resilience and performance this winter by preventing avoidable admissions or by reducing discharge delays.

Medicine: Antisemitism

Lord Turnberg: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to combat antisemitism (1) in medical schools, and (2) amongst medical professionals.

Lord Markham: We are deeply concerned about the rise in antisemitic incidents since 7 October 2023. That is why on 22 November 2023, the Chancellor announced in his Autumn Statement an additional £7 million over three years to tackle antisemitism in education.​The Secretary of State for Education and the Minister for Skills wrote to all schools, colleges, and universities on 11 October 2023, urging them to respond swiftly to hate-related incidents and actively reassure Jewish students that they can study without fear of harassment or intimidation. The Minister for Skills wrote again to Vice Chancellors on 16 November 2023, further emphasising the use of disciplinary measures and the importance of police engagement, as well as the suspension of student visas where the student is a foreign national. This was one of the key actions in the five-point plan for tackling antisemitism in higher education, How we’re protecting Jewish students on university campuses, which was published on GOV.UK on 5 November 2023 in an online-only format.On 3 November 2023, the former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care wrote to healthcare regulators, including the General Medical Council (GMC), which is the independent regulator of all medical professionals practising in the United Kingdom, to emphasise that there can be no place in our healthcare professions for those espousing racism or extremism. The letter asked the regulators what action they are taking, in the context of a rise in incidents of an antisemitic nature and of individuals expressing support for proscribed terrorist organisations.All doctors must meet the expected standards set out in Good medical practice, the GMC’s framework of professional standards. These standards make clear that all doctors must treat patients and colleagues fairly and without discrimination. The GMC has a zero-tolerance approach to racism. Failure to uphold and adhere to the principles within these standards and related guidance may put a doctor’s registration with the GMC at risk. A copy of these standards is attached.GMC standards (pdf, 1166.2KB)

Dementia: Drugs

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask His Majesty's Government, further tothe call from Alzheimer's UK for any drugs “deemed safe and effective” to treat dementia to be made available on the NHS as soon as possible, what plans they have to do so.

Lord Markham: To be made routinely available to National Health Service patients in England, new medicines must receive a marketing authorisation from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and a positive recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to demonstrate clinical and cost effectiveness.Several potential new disease modifying treatments for Alzheimer’s disease are in development and MHRA, NICE, NHS England and the Department are working closely to ensure that arrangements are in place to support the adoption of any new licensed and NICE recommended treatment for Alzheimer’s disease as soon as possible.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Drugs

Earl Russell: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the national supply disruption problems of the most used ADHD medications have been resolved, and if not, what are the causes and when they expect the supply to return to acceptable levels.

Lord Markham: Disruptions to the supply of medicines used for the management of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been primarily driven by issues which have resulted in capacity constraints at key manufacturing sites. The Department has been working closely with the respective manufacturers and some issues have now been resolved. However, we know that there continue to be disruptions to the supply of some other medicines, which should resolve by April 2024.We have well-established processes to manage supply issues and continue to work with the respective manufacturers and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the supply disruptions are resolved as soon as possible.We understand how frustrating and distressing medicine shortages can be and we want to assure patients that we are working with the respective manufacturers to resolve the issues with ADHD medicine supply in the United Kingdom as soon as possible and to help ensure patients are able to access these medicines in the short and long term.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report Children and young people’s mental health services: Targets, progress and barriers to improvement published by the Education Policy Institute on 10 December.

Lord Markham: We have made no such assessment. However, we are committed to increasing investment into mental health services by at least £2.3 billion a year by March 2024 and have set out our aim in the NHS Long Term Plan for an additional 345,000 children and young people to be able to get the mental health support they need.We continue to work with the Department for Education to implement the proposals of the Government’s Transforming children and young people’s mental health green paper. A copy of the green paper is attached.There are now almost 400 mental health support teams in place in schools and colleges across England. Mental health support teams now cover over three million children or approximately 35% of pupils in schools and colleges. We aim to increase this coverage to 50% by April 2025.Green paper (pdf, 1170.9KB)

Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England: Public Appointments

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend toensure the appointment of professionally credible chief professions officers and heads of profession for non-clinical roles within the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England.

Lord Markham: The Department and NHS England ensure that roles are advertised with clear information on the key skills, experience, behaviours and professional requirements and how these will be assessed. Diverse selection panels comprising suitably qualified and senior individuals are tasked with undertaking shortlisting and relevant interviews and assessments before rigorous pre-employment checks are undertaken for the successful candidate(s). These cover, at a minimum, checks on identity, right to work in the United Kingdom, professional registration and qualification checks and employment history. These practices ensure we recruit senior colleagues with the required professional credibility and that we appoint the right person for the job.

Anaesthesia Associates

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government when the Commission on Human Medicines is expected to make recommendations about whether anaesthesia associates will be given prescribing rights.

Lord Markham: On 13 December 2023, the Department laid draft legislation in both Houses and in the Scottish Parliament that will empower the General Medical Council (GMC) to regulate anaesthesia associates and physician associates.Subject to parliamentary scrutiny, this legislation will instruct the GMC to commence regulation. The GMC will have 12 months to consult on their own rules, policies and guidance and begin regulating these roles.Extending prescribing responsibilities to a profession involves a separate legislative process to the introduction of statutory professional regulation as amendments are needed to the Human Medicines Regulations.The process to extend prescribing responsibilities to a role is jointly led by NHS England and the Department. This work is exploratory at this stage, in advance of regulation.

Anaesthesia Associates

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government when theyplan to introduce legislation to regulate anaesthesia associates.

Lord Markham: On 13 December 2023, the Department laid draft legislation in both Houses and in the Scottish Parliament that will empower the General Medical Council (GMC) to regulate anaesthesia associates and physician associates. Subject to parliamentary scrutiny, this legislation will instruct the GMC to commence regulation. The GMC will have 12 months to consult on their own rules, policies and guidance and begin regulating these roles.Regulation will provide a standardised framework of governance and assurance for clinical practice and professional conduct, to enable these roles to make a greater contribution to patient care.

Anaesthesia Associates

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government how many anaesthesia associates were practising in England in (1) 2005, (2) 2010, (3) 2015, (4) 2020, and (5) 2023.

Lord Markham: The Department does not hold the historical data requested.There are two proxy measures which could be used to understand the number of anaesthesia associates (AAs) currently practicing in England. Firstly, data on the National Health Service workforce is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) and published by NHS England. ESR is the payroll system for the NHS. The latest data for June 2023 shows that there are 72 full-time equivalent staff recorded as AAs working in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England. Coding of AAs on ESR was only introduced in 2021 and it is therefore likely that some people are not coded correctly.Secondly, the Royal College of Anaesthetists holds and publishes a voluntary register of AAs across the United Kingdom who have completed the anaesthetist associate training. As of November 2023, this held 167 registered members, 134 of whom have listed an NHS trust as their employer. The register is voluntary and so may not include all those who have completed training. In addition, registration with the voluntary register does not guarantee that an individual is currently practicing.

Ulcerative Colitis: Ethnic Groups

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have undertaken a review into the impact on different ethnic groups of differing levels of medical care, following the 2015publication of ‘Patients with ulcerative colitis from diverse populations: The Leicester experience’by Farrukh and Mayberry inMedical-Legal Journal, which foundthat some ethnic groups haveless access to certain treatments, fewer reviews by consultants, more frequent discharges from hospital care and poorer access to surveillance colonoscopy to detect early cancer development.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish the NHS outcome data for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in the Roma community.

Lord Markham: Integrated care boards are responsible for meeting the health needs of their local populations, accounting for differences in populations’ demographic characteristics and health needs. Nationally, our approach will continue to focus on supporting people to live healthier lives, helping the National Health Service and social care to provide the best treatment and care for patients and tackling health disparities through interventions such as the NHS England Core20PLUS5 programme.We have no plans to publish NHS outcome data for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in the Roma community.

Lung Diseases: Screening

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) data, (2) estimates, or (3) management information, they have available regarding the number of patients waiting for a spirometry test in England.

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) estimates, or (2) management information, they have available regarding the numberof patients waiting for a spirometry test within each integrated care board.

Lord Markham: The Department does not currently hold validated data on the number of patients waiting for a spirometry test in England or within each integrated care board. NHS England plans to expand the national diagnostics data collection in 2024. This will provide regular data on spirometry services for the first time.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for the roll-out of funding for Mental Health Support Teams beyond 2025.

Lord Markham: There are currently approximately 400 mental health support teams in place in schools and colleges across England, offering support to children experiencing anxiety, depression, and other common mental health issues and covering over three million children or approximately 35% of pupils. We estimate this will increase to 44% by April 2024 and we are aiming to increase this coverage to 50% of pupils by March 2025. The Government is investing an additional £3.3 billion in each of 2023/24 and 2024/25 to support the National Health Service in England. Future financial plans, including details on the further rollout of mental health support teams, will be confirmed in due course.

Radiotherapy

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofregional inequalities in access to molecular radiotherapy services; and what plans they have to reduce inequalities in access to thoseservices.

Lord Markham: Based on information provided by National Health Service trusts, there are 38 providers of this service in England, spread across each of the seven NHS regions.As part of the implementation process of the new standalone service specification for molecular radiotherapy (MRT), which is expected from April 2024, work will be undertaken to confirm the nature and type of MRT services being provided by trusts and allow for access considerations to be taken into account.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Parliamentary Estate: Road Traffic Control

Lord Hayward: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether traffic marshals were first employed on the Westminster estate because a specific safety risk was identified; and if so, what alternative forms of mitigation were considered and what cost was identified in relation to each alternative.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The nature of the estate means that full segregation of works traffic from pedestrian routes is not possible, unless large sections of the estate were closed during construction works. As outlined in the response to QWAs HL5748 and HL9893, the current need for traffic marshals on the estate is a result of construction work underway as part of the New Palace Yard Security project. This means that the safety benefits of traffic marshals cannot be achieved by other means. As corporate officers, the Clerks of both Houses are legally responsible for the safety of members, staff and visitors on the estate. The need for marshals has been identified through risk assessments, up to date guidance from the Health and Safety executive, and construction industry best practice.

Parliamentary Estate: Visits

Lord Hayward: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether all visitors to the Westminster estate who have not been issued a pass are required to be accompanied by a passholder when crossing the internal spine road of the estate.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: All visitors on the Parliamentary Estate must be accompanied by a full pass holder at all times when in all non-public areas of the Parliamentary Estate. As the internal spine road is a non-public area, visitors without a pass are required to be accompanied by a passholder when crossing it.

House of Lords: Catering

Lord Hayward: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what is the change in usage, on an average daily basis, of the River Restaurant between (1) sitting, and (2) recess, weekdays.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Wednesdays are the busiest days for the River Restaurant since the COVID-19 pandemic. There were an average of 945 transactions per day across four sitting Wednesdays between 18 October and 15 November 2023, and 429 transactions per day across three recess Wednesdays between September and October 2023.

Parliamentary Estate: Pedestrians

Lord Hayward: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether he has calculated any change in the number of pedestrians crossing the internal spine road within the Westminster estate between (1) sitting, and (2) recess, weekdays.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Pedestrian movements are monitored at the point of access and when leaving the estate, therefore no such calculations have been made. Pedestrian usage on the estate more widely remains broadly consistent between sitting and recess periods, and vehicle traffic reduces by around 30% in recess. The requirement to maintain the safety of users of and visitors to the estate in all locations does not change.

Parliamentary Estate: Road Traffic Control

Lord Hayward: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what is the annual cost to Parliament of each traffic marshal on the Westminster estate.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Strategic Estates procures traffic marshal support for Parliament via a public sector procurement framework. It contracts for a service rather than paying individual marshals directly. It is therefore not possible to identify accurately the cost of individual marshals.

Parliamentary Estate: Telephone Systems

Lord Marlesford: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what was the cost to public funds of replacing the Siemens telephone system on the parliamentary estate with the Microsoft Polycom system; and what plans they have to replace the standard desk telephone sets with ones which are easier to use by those with impaired visual capability.

Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall: The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The cost of the original programme that replaced Parliament’s copper wire telephone system with voice over internet protocol (VoIP) telephony, including the Microsoft Polycom handsets, was £8.3 million. It was necessary to update the telephony as the previous telephone system was end of life and can no longer be supported or maintained.Members and other Parliamentary users with visual impairments can use speech recognition software to use Teams. Support is available from the Parliamentary Digital Service for anyone requiring help to use the system. As part of implementation of a new telephony solution for Parliament in the first half of 2024 the Voice Programme team is exploring options for more user-friendly telephone handsets including accessible solutions for visually impaired users.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Research: Migrant Workers

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byViscount Camrose on 5 December (HL474), what assessment they have made of the impact on recruitment of overseas research and development workers of the increase in the minimum salary to £38,700 for foreign workers.

Viscount Camrose: My Department supports the Government’s aim of reducing net migration, whilst ensuring the UK maintains a competitive advantage in attracting international talent in research and development, as set out in the Science & Technology Framework. The UK’s generous and points-based immigration offer enables talented scientists, researchers and innovators to come to the UK through a number of visa routes. Following the Home Secretary’s announcements on 5 December, my Department is working with the Home Office on the details of the policy of increasing the salary threshold for the skilled worker visa route, and will be undertaking assessments of its impacts.

Artificial Intelligence: Research

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the 1,000 new PhD places in artificial intelligence identified in the UK Digital Strategy have been created.

Viscount Camrose: The UK Digital strategy referenced the 1,000 PhDs that had already been created through 16 Centres for Doctoral Training as part of the AI sector deal. The last cohort of these students has now been recruited and commenced their studies. The strategy also re-committed to the announcement of a further 1,000 PhDs through an additional investment of £117M. This funding has been awarded to 12 UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) AI Centres for Doctoral Training across the UK, leveraging an additional £110M from industry, universities and other sources. The universities hosting these centres will receive the funding to train PhD students through five cohorts. Recruitment has started for the first cohort due to start in autumn 2024 who will complete their studies in 2028.

Aerials: Highlands of Scotland

Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria they have established for the siting of telecommunications masts across the Highlands of Scotland under the Shared Rural Network programme.

Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the potential impact of telecommunications masts erected under the Shared Rural Network programme on wild land in remote areas of the Scottish Highlands.

Viscount Camrose: This Government has a responsibility to ensure all parts of the country are able to benefit from the opportunities provided by digital connectivity. The Shared Rural Network (SRN) intentionally has geographic targets in order to tackle this challenge, and ensure the programme remains focused on the most rural parts of the country. The exact site deployment plans for new masts under the SRN will be managed by the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) themselves in order for them to best deliver the agreed coverage targets for the programme. The MNOs continue to work closely with local communities and planning authorities to ensure new masts go through the proper planning process and are considerate to areas of natural beauty. Planning authorities are responsible for approving applications which form part of the SRN programme and publicly funded masts will be shared by all four MNOs to minimise the impact on the environment.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Grants

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government what competitive grant funds have been launched by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology since its establishment.

Viscount Camrose: The following competitive grant funds have been launched: Open Networks Ecosystem Competitionhttps://www.gov.uk/guidance/open-networks-ecosystem-competitionSmart Infrastructure Pilots Programmehttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smart-infrastructure-pilots-programme5G Innovation Regions:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/5g-innovation-regionsResearch Venture Catalysthttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-ventures-catalyst Research & Innovation Organisations Infrastructure Fund:https://find-government-grants.service.gov.uk/grants/research--innovation-organisations-infrastructure-fund-1 Manchester Prize:https://find-government-grants.service.gov.uk/grants/manchester-prize-1

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Policy

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government what sectoral strategies have been produced by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology since its establishment.

Viscount Camrose: The sectoral strategies produced by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology since its establishment are:Wireless Infrastructure StrategyNational Semiconductor StrategyNational Quantum StrategyInternational Technology StrategyUK Geospatial StrategyDSIT also recently published its National Vision for Engineering Biology. Strategies produced prior to the department’s establishment that are key to our sectors include:National Space StrategyInnovation StrategyNational Data StrategyNational AI StrategyUK Digital StrategyLife Sciences Vision5G Supply Chain Diversification StrategyR&D People and Culture StrategyS&T Framework (provides a strategic vision to make the UK and Science and Technology superpower by 2030, including identifying five critical technologies)

Treasury

Schools: Concrete

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what Barnett consequentials arise for (1) Scotland, (2) Northern Ireland, and (3) Wales, as a result of additional financial support for schools to deal with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Education is a devolved matter. The devolved administrations have received funding for schools through the Barnett formula at the last Spending Review and subsequent fiscal events. The Barnett formula will continue to apply in the usual way to any changes in UK Government departmental budgets at future fiscal events. We are committed to working collaboratively with our devolved administration counterparts on this issue.

Banks: Closures

Lord Wigley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many branches of (1) Barclays, (2) NatWest, (3) Lloyds Bank, and (4) HSBC, in the UK have closed in 2023 so far; andwhat were the corresponding figures for 2022.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government does not make assessments of bank branch closures. However, in the event of a closure of a core cash service, for example a bank branch, LINK provides an assessment of a community’s cash access needs. It keeps an updated record of these assessments on its website as part of its overview of branch closures announced by banks since January 2022, alongside any banking hubs or deposit services recommended. Decisions on opening and closing branches are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis, with which the Government does not interfere.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Social Rented Housing: Landlords

The Lord Bishop of Derby: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the additional support required for social housing landlords as a result of the consumer regulation measures announced by the Regulator of Social Housing, including the Tenant Satisfaction Measures Standard, which are to be implemented from April 2024.

Baroness Penn: The Government recognises that there are demands on social landlords at this time, some of which relate to the introduction of revised consumer standards. It is essential that providers manage resources effectively to deliver for their residents.All social landlords are responsible for providing safe and decent homes for their tenants and should be prioritising repairs and improvements where required. Landlords should not be looking to Government to fund bringing their social housing stock up to the required standards.The Tenant Satisfaction Measure standard was introduced on 1 April 2023 and will come into force in April 2024. The Government has agreed to provide Local authorities with funding to meet the requirements of the Tenant Satisfaction Measure standard.

Rented Housing: Fire Prevention

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to require developers to undertake a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls in circumstances where the developers have failed to engage with the landlords.

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to prevent a landlord charging leaseholders for undertaking a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls without the participation of the developer, where the developer has refused to co-operate.

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the number of housing developments for which developers have not progressed a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls, where this is required.

Baroness Penn: The Building Safety Act protects qualifying leaseholders from the costs of professional services relating to relevant defects. This would include any Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW) undertaken in relation to a relevant defect, including to ascertain whether such a defect exists. Where a building is enrolled in the Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS) or the Building Safety Fund (BSF), funding for an FRAEW can be provided.Developers who sign the developer remediation contract are obliged to obtain an assessment of life-critical fire safety defects caused by the original design, construction or refurbishment of the building. Those developers must also use all reasonable endeavours to enter into a works contract with the building owner/responsible entity and agree the plan for remediation. Published data from November 2023 shows that developers have yet to obtain a Works Assessment for 1,277 (28%) of the 4,540 buildings for which they have accepted responsibility under the developer remediation contract (for reporting purposes, ‘Works Assessments’ include but are not limited to Fire Risk Appraisals of External Walls and may include other assessments e.g., Fire Risk Assessment). The Department is closely monitoring progress and holding regular discussions with developers to enforce compliance with their contractual obligations. All developers who fail to comply with their obligations face significant consequences, and members of the statutory Responsible Actors Scheme that the Government launched in July 2023 would face planning and building control prohibitions.

Attorney General

Crown Prosecution Service: Freedom of Information

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with the Crown Prosecution Service on responding to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in an informative and expeditious manner.

Lord Stewart of Dirleton: The Attorney General’s Office has not had any discussions with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on responding to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000 in an informative and expeditious manner.The CPS processes FOI requests independently and in accordance with the requirements of the FOIA 2000.

Department for Business and Trade

Business: Artificial Intelligence

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assess the benefits, challenges and regulatory considerations of the potential integration of artificial intelligence in auditing practice within firms.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The Financial Reporting Council has conducted outreach with its regulated communities, establishing a Technology & Digital Steering Group, publishing work on the use of technology and committing to “promote improvement and innovation”. Overall, its view is that use of artificial intelligence and machine learning tools by those for which it has regulatory responsibility presents potential opportunities for quality improvements, though there are risks which require mitigation. The FRC continues to work on initiatives to support the safe use of these tools by audit firms, based on the principles in the Government's March 2023 white paper, “AI regulation: a pro-innovation approach”.

Economic Growth

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatplans they have, if any, to alter trade policy to enhance economic growth, further to the recommendations made in the final report of the Economy 2030 inquiry,Ending Stagnation: A New Economic Strategy for Britain, published by the Resolution Foundation on 4 December.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The Government notes the report and is already working to deliver economic growth through our trade strategy. We are opening markets through trade agreements and bilateral relationships, protecting UK business, and working to strengthen the World Trade Organisation and global rulebook. We are focused on deepening economic relationships with high-growth countries and providing businesses with the right foundations to drive growth and raise living standards. Noting the recommendation on services, we continue to negotiate ambitious commitments in Free Trade Agreements to remove barriers to services trade, provide greater choice, innovation, competition, and deliver meaningful benefits to UK businesses and consumers.

Leader of the House of Lords

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask the Leader of the House why Written Questions HL660 and HL661, tabled on 28 November, have not been answered after 10 working days.

Lord True: As Leader of the House of Lords I have reiterated to all Departments the importance of adhering to the 10 day target for responses to questions for written answer. My office has been in close contact with the Department for Health and Social Care’s Parliamentary Team to ascertain why HL660 and HL661 went unanswered. They have now confirmed that they have been answered. The Permanent Secretary has previously reassured me that the department is working to return performance to pre-pandemic levels. As this issue has persisted I am writing again to the Permanent Secretary to highlight the lack of improvement.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Climate Change: USA

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government how many meetings they have had with US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, and at what level of government these meetings took place; and what meetings with Mr Kerry were held in the lead-up to COP 28.

Lord Callanan: Ministers across Government regularly meet with Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry to discuss a range of climate change, energy and environment-related issues, including policy related to COP28.

Climate Change: Public Appointments

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government how long the post of the Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative for Climate Change has been unfilled; and when if at all they plan to appoint a Secretary of State-level Climate Envoy, as recommended as a priority in the report by the Climate Change Committee Progress in reducing emissions, published on 28 June.

Lord Callanan: The Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative for Climate Change finished in the role on 31 March 2023. There are no plans to appoint a climate envoy. The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero leads on international climate change for the UK. The Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero represented the UK at the COP28 negotiations as Ministerial Head of Delegation.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Royal Parks: Finance

Baroness Deech: To ask His Majesty's Government what changes they are planning in the future funding of Royal Parks to reflect the use of part of Victoria Tower Gardens for a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre will be managed and funded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, which will also take responsibility for the management of the relevant parts of Victoria Tower Gardens needed for the duration of the construction period. It is not therefore proposed to make any changes to the funding provided by HM Government to The Royal Parks.

Victoria Tower Gardens: Monuments

Baroness Deech: To ask His Majesty's Government which department or other organisation will have responsibility for the maintenance of the Buxton Memorial following the planned construction of a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Royal Parks will continue to have responsibility for the maintenance of the Buxton Memorial Fountain in Victoria Tower Gardens, which commemorates the Parliamentary campaign to abolish the slave trade, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will continue to have Departmental responsibility for it.

Sports: Transgender People

Lord Lucas: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are taking steps to ensure that all sports governing bodies funded by Sport England have regard to women and women's organisations, including through consultation, when considering the inclusion of trans women in women's sports.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: When it comes to competitive sport, His Majesty’s Government believes that fairness and safety has to be the primary consideration. We are clear that a way forward is needed which protects and shows compassion to all athletes, whilst being clear that the integrity of competition must be maintained. HM Government recently set out this position in the sport strategy, published in August.The national governing bodies of sports set their own policies for who can participate in their sports domestically. The Sports Council Equality Group, which includes Sport England, has produced guidance to help governing bodies with this process. The Group published guidance relating to the inclusion of transgender people in September 2021, after extensive consultation and a review of scientific research. This guidance encourages governing bodies to conduct meaningful and respectful consultation within their sport to ensure that a wide range of opinions are sought.

Gambling: Advertising

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of thepotential impact of gambling advertisements on gambling harm.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: His Majesty’s Government recognises that, while millions of people gamble online without experiencing problems, for some it becomes an addiction with serious consequences. It is particularly important to take steps to protect those most at risk of problem gambling.There are robust rules in place to ensure that gambling advertising is socially responsible and that it cannot be targeted at or strongly appeal to children. Gambling advertising is covered by the UK Advertising Codes which are regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority, and there are also specific Gambling Commission licence conditions which regulate how gambling operators advertise. The UK Advertising Codes were strengthened last year, with new protections for children and vulnerable adults.Earlier this year, HM Government published a White Paper on gambling which outlined a comprehensive package of reforms to make gambling safer. This included measures to tackle the most aggressive and harmful advertising practices by preventing bonuses being constructed and targeted in harmful ways, giving customers more control over the marketing they receive, and introducing messaging about the risks associated with gambling.The Gambling Commission has already consulted on improving marketing consents, and we are working closely with it and others to bring the changes into force as quickly as possible.

Sheep Dipping: Organophosphates

Lord Rooker: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the National Archives file 'Organophosphate poisoning to farmers caused by sheep dip' (PIN 21/843) is open in its entirety and, if not, for what reasons any redactions have been made.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: When The National Archives identifies information in an ‘open’ record which engages, or is likely to engage, an exemption under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the record in question has its access status amended to ‘Access Under Review’, which temporarily prevents the record from being orderable by members of the public.Officials at The National Archives can confirm that the record (PIN 21/843) will revert to being orderable again shortly once the appropriate assessment of its status under the Freedom of Information Act has been carried out.

Telegraph Media Group

Lord Lexden: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by theSecretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on 4 December (HCWS86) relating to the sale of the Telegraph Media Group (TMG), whether they plan to ensure that steps are not taken to integrate the business with any other enterprise; which organisation theyhave employed for this purpose; and whether they intend to provide information about the remuneration of the three independent Directors of TMG.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: On 1 December 2023, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport made an Order under Schedule 7 to the Enterprise Act 2002 for the purpose of preventing pre-emptive action relating to the anticipated acquisition of the Telegraph Media Group by RedBird IMI.This Order has been made to prevent actions by the parties to the merger which might prejudice the process or impede the Secretary of State’s ability to protect the public interest during the period in which the Public Interest Intervention Notice issued under the Order in relation to the proposed acquisition is in force. The Order prohibits the transferral of the ownership of the business without the Secretary of State’s prior written consent. It also requires the parties to ensure that steps are not taken to integrate the business with any other enterprise, to take action to ensure that no significant changes are made to the management and oversight of the business, and to do what is within their power to ensure that key editorial staff in the business are not removed or transferred without the Secretary of State’s prior written consent, or that they are at least encouraged to remain.HM Government has not employed any organisation with regard to enforcing the terms of this order.

Gambling: Internet

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent steps have been taken to (1) raise awareness of the risks, and (2) promote responsible practices, in relation to online gambling, particularly among vulnerable groups such as young people and individuals with mental health challenges.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: His Majesty’s Government recognises that, while millions of people gamble online without experiencing problems, for some it becomes an addiction with serious consequences. It is particularly important to take steps to protect vulnerable groups, including young people, from risks associated with online gambling.In April the Department for Culture, Media and Sport published a White Paper following our review of the Gambling Act 2005. The White Paper outlined a series of measures to tackle practices and products which can drive harm and to ensure that people who are at risk of gambling harm and addiction are protected. These include new, frictionless financial risk checks, a stake limit for online slots games, improvements to customer-led tools, and tougher restrictions on bonuses and direct marketing. These measures will be complemented by strengthened informational messaging about the risks associated with gambling. The White Paper also contained a commitment to introduce a new statutory levy paid by operators to fund research, prevention, and treatment. In July the Gambling Commission also published a vulnerability statement, outlining its approach to identifying, supporting, and protecting consumers who are in vulnerable situations.We are working with the Gambling Commission and others to bring the measures from the White Paper into force as quickly as possible, and have already published consultations on a number of important proposals so that we can finalise details ahead of their implementation.

BBC: Television Licences

Lord Dubs: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the licence fee settlement on BBC news and current affairs programmes.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: In 2022, His Majesty’s Government agreed a settlement with the BBC which saw the licence fee remain at £159 until 2024 to protect licence-fee-payers from inflationary pressures, and then rise in line with inflation until the end of 2027 when the BBC’s current Royal Charter is due for renewal.HM Government will use the annual rate of inflation as calculated by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) in September 2023 to calculate the licence fee uplift in April 2024. This decision will ensure the additional cost to licence-fee-payers is kept as low as possible while giving the BBC over £3.8 billion in annual licence fee funding to spend on world-leading content and to deliver on its mission as set out in its Royal Charter: to serve all audiences with impartial, high-quality, and distinctive output and services which inform, educate, and entertain.The BBC is operationally and editorially independent of the Government and decides how it delivers its services, including its news and current affairs programming. We are, however, clear that the BBC must deliver its remit to serve all audiences with impartial, high-quality, and distinctive output and services which inform, educate, and entertain. The Royal Charter makes clear that the BBC has a vital role to play in enabling all audiences to engage fully with major local, regional, national, and global issues, and to participate in the democratic process, at all levels. The Government expects Ofcom, as the BBC’s regulator, to ensure that the Corporation is robustly held to account in delivering its public service duty.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Finance

Lord Bowness: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to make good the reported shortfall in the budget of the Ministry of Defence, and what effect such a shortfall will have on the UK’s supply of materials to Ukraine.

The Earl of Minto: The UK Government remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine, which is funded from the Treasury Reserves and not the defence budget. In parallel, we remain absolutely committed to increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP as soon as economic and fiscal conditions allow.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the socialsecurity benefit cap will be lifted in line with inflation in April 2024; and if not, why.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Secretary of State has a statutory obligation to review the levels at least once every five years. There is no requirement until November 2027.

Cabinet Office

House of Lords: Ministers

Earl Attlee: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they haveto amend the Ministerial and Other Salaries Order 2008 to ensure that holding ministerial office in the House of Lords is not predicated on access to a private income in order to maintain a standard of living commensurate with thoseroles and responsibilities.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: There are no current plans to amend the legislation governing ministerial salaries.Ministerial salaries are constrained by the Ministerial and other Salaries Act which sets cumulative limits on the total number of salaries that can be allocated to ministers.Under successive governments a small number of ministers across the Commons and the Lords have been unpaid. The distribution of salaries between ministers in the House of Commons and the House of Lords is a matter for the Prime Minister, who is responsible for the overall organisation of the Executive.

National Income

Lord Wigley: To ask His Majesty's Government what are the latest annual figures for gross value added per head of population for (1) England, (2) Wales, (3) Scotland, and (4) Northern Ireland.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority. The Rt Hon. the Lord WigleyHouse of LordsLondonSW1A 0PW11 December 2023 Dear Lord Wigley, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking for the latest annual figures for gross value added per head of population for (1) England, (2) Wales, (3) Scotland, and (4) Northern Ireland (HL898). The latest available annual figures are for the calendar year 2021, published on 25 April 2023 as part of the regional economic activity by gross domestic product UK: 1998 to 2021 [1] release. Although the headline statistics in this release focus on gross domestic product (GDP), the published tables also include gross value added (GVA) estimates, which differ from GDP only in that they exclude the effect of taxes (less subsidies) on products. The GVA per head figures you have requested are as follows: (1) England, £31,138 per person(2) Wales, £22,380 per person(3) Scotland, £27,361 per person(4) Northern Ireland, £24,007 per person Yours sincerely, Professor Sir Ian Diamond[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossvalueaddedgva/datasets/nominalregionalgrossvalueaddedbalancedperheadandincomecomponentsUK Statistics Authority  (pdf, 108.6KB)

Large Goods Vehicles: Northern Ireland

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with the EU to resolve the issue of groupage for hauliers transporting goods from Great Britain into Northern Ireland.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government continues to work with hauliers, including through a dedicated technical working group with the haulage community, to ensure arrangements under the Framework work as intended in the context of groupage and mixed loads. The Government remains in regular contact with the EU on all aspects of implementation of the Windsor Framework.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Birt: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham (HL391), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, whether they intend to review the processes and systems of supervision and governance in respect of projects commissioned by the Government.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) is the government’s centre of expertise for infrastructure and major projects. The IPA leads the government project delivery function and sits at the heart of government, reporting to the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury. The IPA and HM Treasury have the final decision on which projects and programmes join the Government Major Project Portfolio (GMPP). The IPA is responsible for the tracking and monitoring of GMPP projects. The IPA supports GMPP projects with expert advice and support, intervening early to ensure that projects are set up for success. Overall accountability to Parliament sits with responsible Accounting Officers; this includes supervising their governance processes and monitoring performance to ensure they are sufficient and proportionate. For projects not part of the GMPP, where IPA does not provide independent assurance, it is the responsibility of the Accounting Officer to ensure that a suitable assurance process is in place.The IPA was established to provide support to priority projects. However, in recent years the IPA has developed a number of tools to support Accounting Officers and senior project leaders across government to set projects up for success. These tools are reviewed periodically to ensure they reflect current best practice.

Department for Transport

Generation Logistics Ambassadors Network

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government how manyprofessionals are part of the Generation Logistics Ambassadors Network.

Lord Davies of Gower: Assessments of Generation Logistics have been completed by both the Department for Transport and the industry campaign programme team. Positive messages about the logistics sector and its career pathways have been spread amongst under-represented groups through the first year of the campaign. It exceeded expectations by achieving over 3.5 million engagements with social media activities and 789,000 visits to its online hub. Since establishing an Ambassadors Network, over 330 logistics professionals are now championing this important sector through engagement opportunities with young people.We consider Generation Logistics to have been successful in its aim of raising awareness of, and positive sentiment towards, the logistics sector. Following the launch of its second year in October, we continue to work closely with The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Logistics UK, and all the campaign sponsors and partners, to ensure this messaging reaches young people in schools and colleges. We will continue to monitor and evaluate the campaign as it progresses through its second year to determine the merits of further funding.

Transport: Young People

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the (1) social, and (2) economic, impact of poor transport links on young people on low incomes.

Lord Davies of Gower: The Government is taking action to ensure young people can access work, leisure, education and apprenticeship opportunities, regardless of where they live. We have consistently invested in public transport to help make services more frequent, more reliable, cheaper and easier to use. The Department undertakes a range of research to help inform our policy making and gives due consideration to the travel needs, behaviours and experiences of different groups, including young people. We are committed to meeting the obligations of the Public Sector Equality Duty, including giving due consideration to the needs of different age cohorts.

Logistics

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to assess and meet the needs of the logistics industry as an integral part of the UK economy to ensure that the sector is able to grow to meet the demands of the broader economy.

Lord Davies of Gower: This government is implementing plans and policies targeted at the needs of and raising the status of the UK freight and logistics sector. The 2022 ‘Future of Freight: A long-term plan’ was developed in close collaboration with industry and sets out a cross-modal approach towards a freight and logistics sector that is cost efficient, reliable, resilient, environmentally sustainable and valued by society.Implementing the Future of Freight plan is ongoing, and we are determined to deliver favourable results to our long-term growth plans by encouraging technological innovation, strengthening the skills pipeline, enabling the transition to Net Zero, improving the planning system, and increasing visibility through a National Freight Network. My department continuously engages with the Freight Council and the broader freight industry to accomplish this. We have made significant investments including £7million through the Freight Innovation Fund, £645,000 through the Generation Logistics campaign, as well as a joint investment of up to £100 million from the freight and logistics industry and government to enhance roadside facilities and safer rest areas for HGV drivers.We also recognise the scale of the ambitions held by the logistics industry to meet the demands of a decarbonised economy and are working in partnership with them through the jointly developed Freight Energy Forum to address the provision of the energy and fuel infrastructure that will support the transition of the logistics sector to net zero by 2050.

Motorways: Lighting

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Gower on 11 December (HL579), what percentage of lamp columns on each major motorway are out of light, how often lamp columns on motorways are inspected for such issues, and within what period of time they expect defective lamp columns on each motorway to be repaired.

Lord Davies of Gower: National Highways does not centrally hold aggregated information on the lamp columns out of light for the whole of the motorway network. National Highways inspect lamp columns on motorways every 28 days. Where defects are identified, the nature and priority of the fault(s) will determine the timescales in which they are repaired, with most simple faults being repaired within 14 days.

Roads: East of England

Lord Marlesford: To ask His Majesty's Government what major roadworks are in progress on (1) the A12 Trunk Road between the M25 and Ipswich, and (2) the A14 between Cambridge and Ipswich; when each such undertaking is expected to be completed; and what further major roadworks are expected to start within the next 12 months.

Lord Davies of Gower: The following major roadworks are in progress on:The A12 Trunk Road between the M25 and IpswichNational Highways is currently working through an extensive programme to rebuild concrete roads which have come to the end of their serviceable life, and which require high levels of intervention to maintain them. National Highways will be reconstructing the carriageway and replacing it with a modern asphalt surface. This will improve safety, create smoother quieter journeys and extend the life of the A12 to make it fit for the future. There are two such schemes currently underway on the A12:A12 Margaretting Bypass (junctions 13 to 15) a £65million concrete road reconstruction scheme – expected completion by summer 2024.A12 Marks Tey (junction 25) to Stanway (junction 26) a £37milllion concrete road reconstruction scheme – expected completion by summer 2024.National Highways is also delivering major improvements to increase capacity, reduce congestion and improve safety at M25 junction 28. This circa £160million junctions enhancement scheme is expected to complete by summer 2025.The A14 between Cambridge and IpswichThere are ongoing road works on the A14 Haughley (junction 47a) to Tothill (junction 49) as part of a £37 million concrete road reconstruction scheme expected to be completed by summer 2024. National Highways is currently reconstructing the carriageway and replacing it with a modern asphalt surface.In July 2023, National Highways published its Delivery Plan which sets out its plan to start works on the A12 Chelmsford to A120 improvement scheme by the end of March 2024. A decision on the Development Consent Order for this scheme is to be made by 12 January 2024.

Driverless Vehicles

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government what assistance, financial or otherwise,they have provided to businesses in the development of automated vehicles.

Lord Davies of Gower: Government, through the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, a joint DfT and DBT specialist policy unit, has jointly committed with industry more than £600m to the development of Automated Vehicles between 2015 and 2025. CCAV is currently supporting 20 projects with £50m of government funding to further operationalise CAM technologies and services. In the recently published Advanced Manufacturing Plan, Government also committed to long-term support for Connected and Automated Mobility with up to £150m in the five-year period to 2030.

Driverless Vehicles: Safety

Lord Birt: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the evidence presented by Lukasz Krupski about the safety of Tesla's self-driving vehicles as part of their development of the Automated Vehicles Bill.

Lord Davies of Gower: Tesla does not currently operate a self-driving system, within the meaning of the Automated Vehicles Bill. The Bill will prohibit the sale of vehicles as self-driving if they do not meet the safety requirements set out in the Act to do so. The Bill also envisages the appointment of inspectors who would be excellently placed to investigate technical concerns about self-driving vehicles.